Written Answers Thursday 17 March 2011

Scottish Executive

Child Welfare

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-39218 by Adam Ingram on 16 February 2011, what decisions were reached following the consideration of the short-life working group on school meal and clothing grant provision in the context of the draft budget for 2011-12.

Adam Ingram: Under the relevant legislation, the responsibility for the provision of free school meals and school clothing grants rests with the education authorities. The decision was taken to publish the short-life working group’s report on 24 January 2011 to allow them to take its recommendations into account when preparing their budgets for 2011-12. In making decisions about free school meals and school clothing grants, we would encourage education authorities to prioritise resources to those most in need.

Children and Young People

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what total funding has been received in the Borders from the £11 million targeted at school-age children under the Healthy Eating, Active Living programme and by what organisations.

Shona Robison: Given that the majority of the projects set out in Healthy Eating Active Living are delivered nationally it is not possible to break down the cost to individual areas of Scotland; for example the Scottish Cooking Bus incurs running costs which are not associated with any particular area.

Children and Young People

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason the Fit4Fun programme, which has been tackling childhood obesity in the Borders, is having its funding reduced.

Shona Robison: The Scottish Government does not fund the Fit4Fun programme directly, it is funded through monies allocated to NHS Borders for delivery of their Child Healthy Weight Intervention in support of the HEAT 3 target. Each health board in Scotland are allocated funding and the decision lies with them as to what programmes are put in place in their area, and the level of funding that the programmes receive.

  The Heat 3 targets for each health board can be seen in the following table:

  

NHS Board
Target March 2011


Ayrshire and Arran
420


Borders
194


Dumfries and Galloway
253


Fife
414


Forth Valley
580


Grampian
607


Greater Glasgow
850


Highland
484


Lanarkshire
1012


Lothian
879


Orkney
40


Shetland
74


Tayside
440


Western Isles
70


Total
6,317



  All boards are expected to meet these targets, however it is up to them how they do that.

Electricity

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it has taken on the potential undergrounding of the Beauly Denny power line since the Beauly Denny public inquiry closed.

Jim Mather: The Scottish Government has requested that both SSE Power Distribution and Scottish Power Transmission Ltd examine options for undergrounding the Beauly Denny upgrade in their respective areas as part of the process of developing proposals for visual mitigation schemes. The Scottish Government have taken advice on the options for these schemes from Stirling Council, Scottish Natural Heritage, internal planning colleagues, and local parties and landowners, as well as maintaining an interest in developments elsewhere in Europe, and the publication of reports on undergrounding such as the recent ENTSO-E report published in December 2010. Scottish ministers recently requested that further dialogue take place between Stirling Council and Scottish Power Transmission Ltd to examine all the options, including partial undergrounding of the main Beauly Denny line, to inform proposals for the Stirling Visual Impact Mitigation Scheme.

Employment

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to bring new jobs and investment to Campbeltown and Kintyre.

Jim Mather: The Scottish Government recognises the unique challenges that face Scotland’s rural communities and is firmly committed to maintaining the supportive business environment necessary to secure existing jobs while creating new employment and investment opportunities in Campbeltown and the rest of Kintyre. We continue to work with our partners - Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), Scottish Development International (SDI), Argyll and Bute Council and others in the public, private and third sectors - towards that end.

  Campbeltown and Machrihanish are identified in the National Renewables Infrastructure Plan, as key sites for offshore wind manufacturing, operations and maintenance. The Scottish Government, HIE and SDI have been working closely with the administrators at Skykon, Ernst & Young, and with Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE). This has resulted in Wind Towers Ltd, a joint venture between SSE and Marsh Wind Technology, securing preferred bidder status for the site. HIE will continue to work with the joint venture partners over the coming weeks as the details of the bid are finalised.

  Amongst the other projects HIE is supporting in the area is a major tourism and leisure project, which is expected to create 67 direct full-time equivalents (FTEs), gross employment impacts of 131 FTEs and GVA of £3.39 million.

  Investment support is also available through the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP). The LEADER scheme is one part of the SRDP and its aim is to increase the capacity of the local rural community and business networks to build knowledge and skills, and encourage innovation and co-operation in order to tackle local development objectives. In Argyll and the Islands, which includes Campbeltown and Kintyre, £8,890,000 million is available to support investment and jobs over the 2007-13 rural development programme period.

Environment

Mike Pringle (Edinburgh South) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to promote reductions in food miles as part of an environmentally sustainable economy.

Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government continues to support modal shift of transport from road to rail through freight grants. We are also encouraging consumers; to get to the shops more sustainably, to choose fresh, seasonal produce and to reduce food waste as part of a greener lifestyle.

Environment

Maureen Watt (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the land use strategy will be laid before the Parliament.

Richard Lochhead: Scotland’s first land use strategy was laid before Parliament today, setting a bold new agenda for sustainable land use. The accompanying Consultation Report details how the strategy benefited from stakeholder input and detailed consideration by the Rural Affairs and Environment Committee.

Equal Pay

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made since 2007 on delivering equal pay for women in (a) each local authority, (b) the Scottish Government and (c) the private sector.

Alex Neil: Detailed information on pay for employees of each local authority is not held centrally. The Scottish Government published reports in July 2010 giving an overview of progress made across public authorities on tackling the Gender Equality Duty Ministerial Priorities - one of which is occupational segregation, a major contributor to the gender pay gap. Local authority data were included in the overview sample.

  The Scottish Government regularly monitors its progress on pay equality in the Scottish Government Main bargaining unit (which comprises staff below Senior Civil Service level in the Core Directorates and Agencies of the Scottish Government). In 2007, the largest difference in average pay between men and women for doing work of equal value was 3.5% (which was within the Equal Opportunities Commission threshold of 5% at that time). In three of the 10 pay ranges (in 2007), the difference was above 2.0%. Subsequent action to reduce pay gaps has led to the most recent position (October 2010) when the largest difference in average pay between men and women for doing work of equal value had been reduced to 1.4%. In six of the nine pay ranges (in 2010), the difference is now below 1.0%.

  The most recent data from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings shows that the difference between median hourly earnings for men and women working full-time in the private sector was 20.8% for both 2007 and 2010. For part-time workers the gap has changed from no difference in 2007 to -1.5% in 2010, meaning that the median part-time wage for women is higher than for males.

Fisheries

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive for what reasons the Lochaber and south Argyll areas seem not to be benefiting from rising wild salmon numbers recently experienced elsewhere in Scotland.

Richard Lochhead: Catches in Argyll show a slight increase over the last 10 years, while the increase in Lochaber is more marked. Whilst these trends in the Lochaber figures are similar to both those of the west coast of Scotland and Scotland although recent catches in the west coast are not at the historically high levels seen for the aggregate Scottish data.

Fisheries

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what research it is undertaking on wild salmon numbers in (a) Scotland and (b) the Lochaber and south Argyll areas.

Richard Lochhead: Government collects data on the number of salmon caught throughout Scotland. This broad scale information is supplemented with in depth information on the salmon numbers from monitored sites on the North Esk and two tributaries of the Aberdeenshire Dee. In addition numbers of juvenile salmon are regularly monitored at a number of sites throughout Scotland.

  In addition to this general overview of wild salmon numbers much of the detailed work on local numbers, including in the Lochaber and South Argyll areas, is undertaken by the Fishery Trusts which receive financial support from the government’s strategic partnership with the Rivers and Fisheries Trusts of Scotland and its member trusts in support of modern fisheries management.

Fisheries

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to encourage an increase in wild salmon numbers in the Lochaber and south Argyll areas.

Richard Lochhead: We will continue to work with local managers in District Salmon Fishery Boards and local Fisheries Trusts to maintain and improve the fisheries in these areas.

Health

Elizabeth Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take following reports that cases of rickets in children and adults have increased since 2006.

Shona Robison: The Chief Medical Officer wrote to health professionals across Scotland last year publicising current advice on supplementation to address vitamin D deficiency. This is being supported by a public information leaflet being distributed through health boards this spring.

Health

Shirley-Anne Somerville (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it continues to support the introduction of minimum pricing as a means of tackling problems with alcohol.

Nicola Sturgeon: This administration has put in place a comprehensive framework of over 40 actions which, taken together, will help reduce consumption and harm and help rebalance our relationship with alcohol. However, I am clear - and this is a view shared by alcohol experts around the world including the World Health Organization - that our efforts will be hampered if some colleagues in the chamber continue to oppose minimum pricing while failing to suggest any alternative measures that would be equally effective.

Health

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have received treatment from injuries sustained from the use of air weapons in each of the last four years, broken down by NHS board.

Nicola Sturgeon: The specific information requested is not available centrally as there are no exact ICD-10 diagnosis codes which solely relate to air weapons. However, there are several "other and unspecified firearms discharge" codes, which can be used to record injuries by BB guns, airguns, unspecified gunshot wounds, unspecified shots or Very pistols (flares). These codes have been used to provide the following information.

  The following table shows information on the number of inpatient and day case episodes in general acute hospitals in Scotland in the last four financial years due to "other and unspecified firearms discharges".

  Number of Hospital Episodes due to "Other and Unspecified Firearm Discharges"; by NHS Board of Treatment and Financial Year

  

NHS Board of Treatment
Financial Year


2006-07
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10


NHS Ayrshire and Arran
10
*
6
*


NHS Borders
*
-
-
*


NHS Dumfries and Galloway
*
-
-
*


NHS Fife
*
11
*
5


NHS Forth Valley
-
5
*
-


NHS Grampian
15
*
*
*


NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
39
38
21
20


NHS Highland
6
*
*
8


NHS Lanarkshire
9
8
11
10


NHS Lothian
15
12
10
9


NHS Tayside
5
9
10
*


Island Boards
*
*
-
*


NHS Scotland
109
92
68
68



  Source: ISD Scotland, SMR01.

  Note: *Indicates values that have been suppressed due to the potential risk of disclosure and to help maintain patient confidentiality.

Health

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have received treatment from injuries sustained from the use of BB guns in each of the last four years, broken down by NHS board.

Nicola Sturgeon: The specific information requested is not available centrally as there are no exact ICD-10 diagnosis codes which solely relate to BB guns. However, there are several "other and unspecified firearms discharge" codes, which can be used to record injuries by BB guns, airguns, unspecified gunshot wounds, unspecified shots or Very pistols (flares). These codes have been used to provide the following information.

  The table below shows information on the number of inpatient and day case episodes in general acute hospitals in Scotland in the last four financial years due to "other and unspecified firearms discharges".

  Number of Hospital Episodes due to "Other and Unspecified Firearm Discharges"; by NHS Board of Treatment and Financial Year

  

NHS Board of Treatment
Financial Year


2006-07
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10


NHS Ayrshire and Arran
10
*
6
*


NHS Borders
*
-
-
*


NHS Dumfries and Galloway
*
-
-
*


NHS Fife
*
11
*
5


NHS Forth Valley
-
5
*
-


NHS Grampian
15
*
*
*


NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
39
38
21
20


NHS Highland
6
*
*
8


NHS Lanarkshire
9
8
11
10


NHS Lothian
15
12
10
9


NHS Tayside
5
9
10
*


Island Boards
*
*
-
*


NHS Scotland
109
92
68
68



  Source: ISD Scotland, SMR01.

  Note: *Indicates values that have been suppressed due to the potential risk of disclosure and to help maintain patient confidentiality

Health

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many acute occupied bed days in NHS Lothian were directly connected with knife and bladed objects crime-related incidents in 2009-10, also broken down by age of patient.

Nicola Sturgeon: The specific information requested is not available centrally as there are no exact ICD-10 diagnosis codes which identify injuries associated with "knife and bladed objects crime-related incidents". However, it is possible to provide information on the number of bed days associated with "assault by sharp object".

  The following table shows information on the number of occupied bed days in acute general hospitals in NHS Lothian in 2009-10 that related to assault by sharp object, by age group.

  Number of Occupied Bed Days in NHS Lothian due to Assault by Sharp Object by Age Group for Financial Year 2009-10

  

Age Group (Years)
2009-10


0-24
112


25-44
143


45-64
20


65+
13



  Source: ISD Scotland.

Health

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been admitted to a hospital as a result of overdosing on methadone in each year since 2008-09, also broken down by (a) NHS board and (b) hospital.

Nicola Sturgeon: The following table shows the number of patients discharged from hospitals in Scotland with a diagnosis of poisoning by methadone for 2008-09 and 2009-10, by health board of treatment.

  A breakdown by hospital of treatment is not available due to small numbers and the potential risk of disclosure.

  General Acute Inpatient and Day Case Discharges1, Patients with a Diagnosis of Poisoning by Methadone2,3,4,5 in any Position: 2008-09 and 2009-10P

  

NHS Board of Treatment
2008-09
2009-10P


Ayrshire and Arran
23
23


Borders
-
*


Dumfries and Galloway
6
*


Fife
24
25


Forth Valley
*
7


Grampian
25
23


Greater Glasgow andClyde
52
70


Highland
*
*


Lanarkshire
8
*


Lothian
70
38


Orkney
-
-


Shetland
-
-


Tayside
9
13


Western Isles
-
-



  Source: ISD Scotland (SMR01). Date Extracted: March 2011.

  PProvisional.

  Notes:

  1. Excludes mental illness hospitals, psychiatric units and maternity hospitals.

  2. Diseases recorded using the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision (ICD10). Poisoning by methadone: T403. Up to six diagnoses are recorded. All six diagnoses have been used to identify alcohol related conditions.

  3. Includes cases where the poisoning is either intentional or unintentional.

  4. Caution is necessary when interpreting these figures. The recording of poisoning by methadone may vary from hospital to hospital.

  5. Figures shown for specific diagnoses include an element of double counting where a patient is discharged in more than one year.

  6. Includes all patients treated in Scotland regardless of whether they are resident in Scotland.

  *Indicates values that have been suppressed due to the potential risk of disclosure and to help maintain patient confidentiality.

  - (ZERO).

Health

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many alcohol-related accident and emergency (A&E) admissions there have been in NHS Lothian in each year since 2008-09, broken down by hospital.

Nicola Sturgeon: Information on how many alcohol-related accident and emergency admissions there were in NHS Lothian is not available centrally.

  The following table shows the number of patients with an alcohol related emergency admission to hospital in NHS Lothian for 2008-09 and 2009-10.

  Number of Emergency1 Hospital Admissions2,3,4 with an Alcohol-Related Diagnosis5,6 by Hospital for NHS Lothian; 2008-09 to 2009-10P

  

 
2008-09
2009-10P


All Lothian Hospitals
5,591
4,723


Edington Cottage Hospital
- 
*


Roodlands General Hospital
*
*


Royal Victoria Hospital
*
*


Western General Hospital
573
433


Liberton Hospital
15
10


Royal Hospital for Sick Children
*
*


St Johns Hospital At Howden
1,162
1,148


Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh at Little France
3,823
3,114



  PProvisional.

  Source: ISD Scotland (SMR01). Date Extracted: March 2011.

  Notes:

  1. This does not include A&E attendances. Information is not currently collected in A&E to provide this information. This includes only patients who have been admitted as an inpatient and the type of admission is classified as an "emergency".

  2. Information is based on date of discharge (rather than date of admission) because the SMR01 dataset is a discharge summary record.

  3. Excludes mental illness hospitals, psychiatric units and maternity hospitals.

  4. Figures in this table relate only to those individuals who are treated as inpatients or day cases in an acute hospital. They do not include individuals managed as outpatients.

  5. Diseases recorded using the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision (ICD10). Alcohol-related codes: F10, K70, X45, X65, Y15, Y90, Y91, E24.4, E51.2, G31.2, G62.1, G72.1, I42.6, K29.2, K86.0, O35.4, P04.3, Q86.0, T51.0, T51.1, T51.9, Y57.3, R78.0, Z50.2, Z71.4, Z72.1. Up to six diagnoses are recorded. All six diagnoses have been used to identify alcohol-related conditions.

  6. Caution is necessary when interpreting these figures. The recording of alcohol misuse may vary from hospital to hospital. Where alcohol misuse is suspected but unconfirmed it may not be recorded by the hospital.

  *Indicates values that have been suppressed due to the potential risk of disclosure and to help maintain patient confidentiality.

  - (ZERO).

Health

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients are attending the National Services Division-sponsored clinic in Glasgow.

Nicola Sturgeon: The National Services Division-sponsored clinic in Scotland managing patients with a diagnosis of paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria (PNH) is at Monklands Hospital in Airdrie. Over the last 12 months the Monklands clinic has seen 21 different PNH patients in the clinic.

Healthcare Associated Infection

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-39516 by Nicola Sturgeon on 1 March 2011, in light of Lord MacLean not yet being advised that a delay in publishing the report would be acceptable, for what reason further witness evidence sessions of the Vale of Leven Hospital Inquiry have been postponed until after May 2011.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Vale of Leven Hospital Inquiry is an independent Inquiry. The procedure and the conduct of an Inquiry is determined by the Inquiry’s Chairman in accordance with his/her duties under the Inquiries Act 2005. For further information, please contact the Secretary of the Vale of Leven Hospital Inquiry Team at information@valeoflevenhospitalinquiry.org.

Justice

James Kelly (Glasgow Rutherglen) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many deaths there have been from knife attacks since 1 January 2010.

Kenny MacAskill: Homicide Data for 2010-11 will not be published until December 2011, but the latest published homicide statistics (for 2009-10) show that homicide rates are down to their lowest level in 31 years, with homicides as a result of a sharp instrument down 39% on the previous year. The number of people caught carrying an offensive weapon is down to its lowest level in a decade.

Justice

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been proceeded against for rape in Tayside in each of the last 10 years and in how many cases the charge was proved.

Kenny MacAskill: The available information is given in the following table.

  Persons Proceeded Against and Convicted for Rape1 in Tayside, 2000-01 to 2009-10

  

 
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10


Proceededagainst
5
7
4
12
7
8
2
2
5
5


Convicted
3
3
2
6
3
3
1
0
2
2



  Note: 1. Where main offence.

Justice

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the impact of knife crime on policing since May 2007.

Kenny MacAskill: Knife crime has a substantial impact on policing, both in terms of the crime prevention work they do as well as the enforcement aspect of policing. Our police forces work extremely hard in often dangerous situations to prevent crime and keep our communities safe.

  We have put 1,000 extra police officers on our streets, record investment of £1.4 million into the National Violence reduction Unit, record investment of £1.6 million into tackling gang violence and record investment of £30 million into diversionary activities. We announced on Friday 25 February 2011 a doubling of the funding for No Knives, Better Lives for 2011-12.

Justice

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many reported crimes listed as breach of a sex offender order there were in each police force area in (a) 2009 and (b) 2010.

Kenny MacAskill: Recorded crimes of breach of a sex offender order, by police force area, 2008-09 and 2009-10,

  

Police Force Area
2008-09
2009-10


Central
6
23


Dumfries and Galloway
8
3


Fife
8
8


Grampian
25
28


Lothian and Borders
18
18


Northern
0
0


Strathclyde
4
20


Tayside
10
10


Scotland
79
110

Justice

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-37763 by Kenny MacAskill on 7 December 2010, what progress it has made in ending automatic early release.

Kenny MacAskill: The government remains committed to ending automatic early release, and officials have continued to work towards achieving that goal.

  The issue was, for example, discussed at the last meeting of the Director General’s Working Group on Prison Population on 20 December, which included the then Director General for Justice and Communities and the Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service.

Justice

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to UK Government regarding the legislation on the (a) sale, (b) ownership and (c) use of BB guns.

Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government has not made any representations to the UK Government on the specific issue of BB guns. We have, however, made clear our wish to see responsibility for all firearms devolved to the Scottish Parliament and will continue to press the UK Government on this issue. In the meantime, we are monitoring progress on the current proposal in the Scotland Bill which will, if passed, see responsibility for air weapons devolved to Scotland.

Justice

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received from (a) police organisations and (b) medical professionals regarding BB guns.

Kenny MacAskill: We have no record of any representations on this issue from the police or medical professionals.

NHS24

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what a (a) P1, (b) P2 and (c) P3 category call is as defined by NHS24.

Nicola Sturgeon: NHS24 receives around 1.5 million calls a year, and around 75% are dealt with on an inbound basis. Of these, it is important to recognise that all calls identified as serious or immediately life threatening are dealt with immediately by NHS24 on an inbound basis.

  However, less serious conditions can be assigned a clinically appropriate timescale within which they can be called back and these account for around 25% of calls to NHS24. This mechanism is utilised, particularly at times of peak demand, to ensure the clinically effective management of all patients. These calls are assigned a priority status (P1, P2, or P3) in line with the rigorous assessment process applied to inbound calls. The priority categorisation is as follows:

  P1 – Priority 1 patients to be called back within 60 minutes

  P2 – Priority 2 patients to be called back within 120 minutes

  P3 – Priority 3 patients to be called back within 180 minutes.

  In deciding which patients/conditions are suitable to be called back, a range of factors will be considered including, but not limited to, presenting symptoms, previous medical history, recent health interventions, age of patient, social circumstances etc.

  An electronic call streaming functionality has been introduced within NHS24, allowing call handlers to advise patients of an indicative timeframe within which they will be called back, improving the patient experience. This enhancement also supports the robust real time monitoring by senior clinicians of patients who are waiting to be called back. All patients are advised to contact the service immediately if their condition deteriorates while they are waiting to be called back.

NHS24

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it receives all data from NHS24 regarding (a) P1, (b) P2 and (c) P3 category calls.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government receives weekly, monthly and annual performance information from NHS24 in relation to performance against P1 and P2 calls to the service. As agreed in their 2010-11 Local Delivery Plan, target responses are as follows:

  Commence 100% of calls prioritised as P1 within 60 minutes

  Commence 90% of calls prioritised as P2 within 120 minutes.

  Performance against these targets is reported publically within the monthly NHS24 Board papers, the most recent report can be found at:

  http://www.nhs24.com/content/default.asp?page=s21_8&monthNo=2&yearNo=2011.

  Performance against calls prioritised as P3 (commence call within 180 minutes) is monitored internally by NHS24 and is not reported to the Scottish Government.

NHS24

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the maximum waiting time for a category P3 call to NHS24 has been in 2010-11.

Nicola Sturgeon: Information about category P3 calls to NHS24 is not held centrally by the Scottish Government, however these calls are monitored internally by NHS24.

NHS24

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many calls have been categorised by NHS24 as (a) P1, (b) P2 and (c) P3 in 2010-11.

Nicola Sturgeon: For the period April 2010 to February 2011 (inclusive):

  3% (35,540) of total calls dealt with by NHS24 were categorised as P1.

  7.8% (90,878) of total calls dealt with by NHS24 were categorised as P2.

  Information about category P3 calls to NHS24 is not held centrally by the Scottish Government, however these calls are monitored internally by NHS24.

NHS24

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason data categorised by NHS24 as P3 are not available.

Nicola Sturgeon: All calls to NHS24 that are categorised as P3 have been through a rigorous process of assessment. As such, these calls are not considered to have an clinical urgency associated with them and will be most likely to require advice on self management.

  Information about category P3 calls to NHS24 is not held centrally by the Scottish Government, however these calls are monitored internally by NHS24.

NHS24

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much NHS24 is paying the BIG Partnership for public relations services for the NHS Inform website.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason NHS24 uses an external public relations company for the NHS Inform website.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason NHS24 does not use its inhouse media team for the NHS Inform website.

Nicola Sturgeon: NHS24 has not employed the BIG Partnership specifically for public relations services for the NHS inform website. However, they have been used by NHS24 to support national campaigns and the development of social media channels.

  NHS24’s own communications team is entirely responsible for managing and delivering all communications functions for NHS inform. This includes the marketing, stakeholder engagement and public relations work relating to the service.

NHS Expenditure

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much the Vale of Leven Hospital Inquiry is paying the BIG Partnership for public relations services.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Vale of Leven Hospital Inquiry is an independent Inquiry. The procedure and the conduct of an Inquiry is determined by the Inquiry’s Chairman in accordance with his/her duties under the Inquiries Act 2005. For further information please contact the Secretary of the Vale of Leven Hospital Inquiry Team at information@valeoflevenhospitalinquiry.org.

NHS Expenditure

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which NHS boards have used external public relations companies in the last year; who provided these services, and what the cost was of each contract.

Nicola Sturgeon: Information on which NHS boards have used public relations companies in the last year is not held centrally.

NHS Staff

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff are employed by each Special Health Board, broken down by pay scale.

Nicola Sturgeon: Information on numbers broken down by pay scales is not available centrally for all employed staff groups. Numbers according to pay band are available in relation to Agenda for Change staff and these can be found on the Information Services Division website at www.isdscotland.org/isd/796.html .

Planning

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many incinerator applications are pending in March 2011.

Richard Lochhead: We are aware of three applications pending for incinerators based on differing technologies as of March 2011.

Planning

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many incinerator applications have received planning approval in each year since 1999.

Richard Lochhead: The information for each year is not held centrally but it is believed that since 1999, eight incinerators based on differing technologies have received planning approval.

Police

John Lamont (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the running costs were for each (a) police authority and (b) joint police board in each of the last two years

Kenny MacAskill: This information is not held centrally and is a matter for each individual police authority and joint police board.

Prison Service

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners accessed the (a) Violence Prevention, (b) Anger Management and (c) Controlling Anger Regulating Emotions Programme while serving a custodial sentence in 2009, broken down by prison.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

  Violence Prevention Programme and CARE are intensive programmes which an individual prisoner will complete in around 200 hours and 62.5 hours. They are delivered to groups of prisoners after careful selection of participants.

  The number of prisoners who completed the programmes is as follows:

  

Establishment
Violence Prevention
CARE


Barlinnie
 
25


Edinburgh
18
 


Glenochil
9
8


Perth
10
16


Polmont
9
24


Shotts
19
38


Peterhead
 
6


Kilmarnock
 
24



  "Controlling Anger Regulating Emotions" (CARE) is a replacement programme for the original "Anger Management" Programme.

  These programmes are part of a suite of 20 prisoner programmes and approved activities, which in 2009-10 resulted in a total of 1,377 completions."

Prison Service

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners accessed the (a) Violence Prevention, (b) Anger Management and (c) Controlling Anger Regulating Emotions Programme while serving a custodial sentence in 2010, broken down by prison.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

  Violence Prevention Programme and CARE are intensive programmes which an individual prisoner will complete in around 200 hours and 62.5 hours. They are delivered to groups of prisoners after careful selection of participants.

  The number of Prisoners who completed the programmes is as follows:

  

Establishment
Violence Prevention
CARE


Barlinnie
 
15


Edinburgh
8
 


Glenochil
10
18


Perth
 
25


Peterhead
2
16


Polmont
10
22


Shotts
23
20


Addiewell
 
7


Kilmarnock
 
20



  "Controlling Anger Regulating Emotions" (CARE) is a replacement programme for the original "Anger Management" Programme.

  These programmes are part of a suite of 20 prisoner programmes and approved activities, which in 2009-10 resulted in a total of 1377 completions.

Prison Service

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of prisoners attended the Sex Offender Treatment Programme in 2009, broken down by prison.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

  The suite of Sex Offender Treatment Programmes (SOTPs) is delivered in four establishments – HMP Barlinnie, HMP Edinburgh, HMP Peterhead and HMYOI Polmont.

  SOTP is delivered to prisoners based on an assessment of their risk and needs; availability of programme places and a willingness to participate. Not all prisoners will complete a programme over a calendar year and some may drop out. Therefore, it would not be appropriate to express numbers as a proportion of the total prison population as requested. However, the following table shows the number of prisoners starting the programme and the number completing the programme in 2009:

  

 
Number of Prisoners Starting Programme in 2009
Number of Prisoners Completing Programme in 2009


HMP Barlinnie
9
3


HMP Edinburgh
20
11


HMP Peterhead
49
39


HMYOI Polmont
7
9

Prison Service

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of prisoners attended the Sex Offender Treatment Programme in 2010, broken down by prison.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

  The suite of Sex Offender Treatment Programmes (SOTPs) is delivered in four establishments – HMP Barlinnie, HMP Edinburgh, HMP Peterhead and HMYOI Polmont.

  SOTP is delivered to prisoners based on an assessment of their risk and needs; availability of programme places and a willingness to participate. Not all prisoners will complete a programme over a calendar year and some may drop out. Therefore, it would not be appropriate to express numbers as a proportion of the total prison population. However, the following table shows the number of prisoners starting the programme and the number completing the programme in 2010:

  

 
Number of Prisoners Starting Programme in 2010
Number of Prisoners Completing Programme in 2010


HMP Barlinnie
16
4


HMP Edinburgh
24
16


HMP Peterhead
-
35


HMYOI Polmont
9
4

Prison Service

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many drug finds there have been in each prison in each month since January 2010, broken down by type of drug

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows:

  The following table illustrates the number of drug finds recorded in each month 2010 broken down by establishment. SPS does not carry out analysis on substances found. These are sent to the police for either further investigation or disposal as appropriate.

  

 
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec


Aberdeen
10
14
6
11
6
12
11
10
7
6
9
6


Addiewell
41
25
23
25
16
28
28
22
17
15
17
18


Barlinnie
17
22
13
28
22
23
18
18
14
12
12
9


Cornton Vale
10
9
6
8
13
10
6
13
8
11
19
6


Dumfries
0
0
4
1
3
1
1
2
3
3
1
1


Edinburgh
21
7
22
22
24
25
22
31
15
23
15
28


Glenochil
6
9
9
17
13
12
11
10
18
16
6
7


Greenock
7
2
17
3
10
5
5
6
4
9
12
11


Inverness
1
2
1
1
3
0
0
0
3
0
0
1


Kilmarnock
13
15
12
15
16
17
18
13
9
21
16
29


Open Estate
0
2
2
6
5
3
0
7
1
9
1
2


Perth
8
16
6
12
6
5
15
11
8
15
10
10


Peterhead
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0


Polmont
11
7
5
7
3
5
10
3
9
6
12
11


Shotts
15
8
13
7
9
7
10
5
16
13
6
12

Prison Service

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many banned items were seized from individuals entering prison in 2009, broken down by (a) item and (b) prison.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

  The following table below illustrates the number of banned items seized from prisoners entering Scottish Prisons in 2009, broken down by item and establishment.

  

 
Drugs
Mobile Telephones
SIM Cards
Drug Paraphernalia


Aberdeen
2
0
0
0


Addiewell
0
0
0
0


Barlinnie
0
3
1
0


Cornton Vale
6
1
0
1


Dumfries
1
0
0
1


Edinburgh
0
4
0
0


Glenochil
0
3
2
0


Greenock
4
3
0
0


Inverness
2
0
0
0


Kilmarnock
15
5
4
0


Open Estate
1
3
0
0


Perth
6
6
1
0


Peterhead
0
0
0
0


Polmont
2
1
1
0


Shotts
0
1
0
0


Totals
39
30
9
2



  The following table illustrates the number of banned items seized from visitors entering Scottish Prisons in 2009, broken down by item and establishment.

  

 
Drugs
Mobile Telephones
SIMCards
Weapons
Alcohol
Drug Paraphernalia


Aberdeen
1
0
0
0
0
0


Addiewell
24
5
3
0
0
0


Barlinnie
10
0
0
0
0
0


Cornton Vale
12
0
1
1
0
1


Dumfries
1
0
0
0
1
0


Edinburgh
23
0
16
0
0
0


Glenochil
5
0
0
0
0
0


Greenock
14
0
0
0
0
0


Inverness
0
0
0
0
0
0


Kilmarnock
21
5
5
1
0
0


Open Estate
0
0
0
0
0
0


Perth
3
1
1
0
0
0


Peterhead
0
0
0
0
0
0


Polmont
12
0
1
0
0
0


Shotts
2
4
2
0
0
0


Totals
128
15
29
2
1
1

Prison Service

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many banned items were seized from individuals entering prison in 2010, broken down by (a) item and (b) prison.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

  The following table illustrates the number of banned items seized from prisoners entering Scottish Prisons in 2010, broken down by item and establishment.

  

 
Drugs
Mobile Telephones
SIM Cards
Weapons
Alcohol
Drug Paraphernalia


Aberdeen
1
0
0
0
0
0


Addiewell
9
3
5
0
0
0


Barlinnie
0
2
1
2
0
0


Cornton Vale
11
0
0
1
0
2


Dumfries
1
0
0
0
0
2


Edinburgh
2
4
0
2
0
0


Glenochil
0
2
0
0
0
0


Greenock
3
1
0
0
0
0


Inverness
1
0
0
0
0
0


Kilmarnock
15
13
5
3
0
0


Open Estate
1
4
1
0
0
0


Perth
2
5
5
1
0
0


Peterhead
0
0
0
0
0
0


Polmont
3
2
1
0
0
0


Shotts
1
2
0
1
1
0


Totals
50
38
18
10
1
4



  The table below illustrates the number of banned items seized from visitors entering Scottish Prisons in 2010, broken down by item and establishment.

  

 
Drugs
Mobile Telephones
SIM Cards
Weapons
Alcohol


Aberdeen
4
3
0
0
0


Addiewell
12
1
9
0
0


Barlinnie
8
0
0
0
0


Cornton Vale
7
1
0
0
0


Dumfries
1
1
0
1
0


Edinburgh
15
0
0
0
0


Glenochil
3
3
0
0
0


Greenock
10
1
0
1
0


Inverness
0
0
0
0
0


Kilmarnock
25
1
1
0
0


Open Estate
0
0
0
0
0


Perth
4
1
1
0
0


Peterhead
0
0
0
0
0


Polmont
3
0
0
9
1


Shotts
3
0
0
0
0


Totals
95
12
11
11
1

Prison Service

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of prisoners (a) was assessed as having an alcohol addiction and (b) received support for this in prison in 2010, broken down by prison.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

  This information is not available regarding the proportion of all prisoners with alcohol problems. Prisoners do take the opportunity to disclose problems to the prison health services and have access to addiction services to address their needs. Prisoners serving over 31 days in custody, identified with an alcohol misuse problem, are offered a comprehensive substance misuse assessment.

  The following table shows the number of assessments completed for alcohol against the proportion of referrals made to the Enhanced Addiction Casework Service (EACS); and the number of Alcohol interventions delivered in 2009-10:

  

Prison
No Prisoners Referred to EACS
% Prisoners Assessed for Alcohol Misuse
No Alcohol Interventions Delivered


HMP Aberdeen
306
15.03% (46)
216


HMP Barlinnie
731
29.69% (217)
862


HMP Cornton Vale
515
17.67% (91)
617


HMP Dumfries
216
32.87% (71)
531


HMP Edinburgh
748
15.24% (114)
424


HMP Glenochil
334
25.75% (86)
503


HMP Greenock
379
22.16% (84)
571


HMP Inverness
210
36.19% (76)
358


HMP Open Estate
280
27.86% (78)
1179


HMP Perth
597
18.09% (108)
421


HMP Peterhead
100
28% (28)
462


HM YOI Polmont
478
57.11% (273)
2352


HMP Shotts
126
14.29% (18)
54


Total
5,020
25.70% (1,290)
8,550



  The number of alcohol interventions do not correspond with the number who were assessed for alcohol misuse as a prisoner can attend more than one intervention, based on their assessed need as detailed within their community integration plan (CIP).

  A further 87 prisoners were identified though EACS as having problematic alcohol issues.

  Every prisoner admitted to custody goes through an initial health screening by a nurse. Prisoners are all asked about historical and current alcohol misuse to ascertain immediate clinical need.

Prison Service

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of prisoners (a) was assessed as having a drug addiction and (b) received support for this in prison in 2010, broken down by prison.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

  This information is not available regarding the proportion of all prisoners with drug/alcohol problems. Prisoners do take the opportunity to disclose problems to the prison health services and have access to addiction services to address their needs. Prisoners serving over 31 days in custody, identified with a substance misuse problem, are offered a comprehensive substance misuse assessment.

  The following table shows the number of assessments completed against the proportion of referrals made to the Enhanced Addiction Casework Service (EACS); and the number of interventions delivered in 2009-10:

  

Prison
Prisoners
Total Assessed
No Interventions Delivered


No Referred to EACS
% Assessed for Drug Misuse
% Assessed for Alcohol Misuse
% Assessed for Drugs & Alcohol Misuse


Aberdeen
306
47.06% (144)
15.03% (46)
2.61% (8)
64.71% (198)
934


Barlinnie
731
40.63% (297)
29.69% (217)
8.62% (63)
78.93% (577)
2,385


Cornton Vale
515
74.37% (383)
17.67% (91)
1.75% (9)
93.79% (483)
3,391


Dumfries
216
37.04% (80)
32.87% (71)
10.65% (23)
80.56% (174)
1,248


Edinburgh
748
52.01% (389)
15.24% (114)
3.48% (26)
70.72% (529)
3,118


Glenochil
334
39.82% (133)
25.75% (86)
4.49% (15)
70.06% (234)
2,410


Greenock
379
41.95% (159)
22.16% (84)
5.28% (20)
69.39% (263)
2,996


Inverness
210
39.05 (82)
36.19% (76)
7.14% (15)
82.38% (173)
900



  

 Prison
 Prisoners
 Total Assessed
 Number of Interventions Delivered


 No Referred to EACS
 % Assessed for Drug Misuse
 % Assessed for Alcohol Misuse
 % Assessed for Drugs & Alcohol Misuse


 Open Estate
 280
 31.79% (89)
 27.86% (78)
 0.36% (1)
 60% (168)
 3,148


 Perth
 597
 47.57% (284)
 18.09% (108)
 3.69% (22)
 69.35% (414)
 2,477


 Peterhead
 100
 18% (18)
 28% (28)
 0
 46% (46)
 662


 Polmont
 478
 34.73% (166)
 57.11% (273)
 4.60% (22)
 96.44% (461)
 3,458


 Shotts
 126
 65.08% (82)
 14.29% (18)
 0.79% (1)
 80.16% (101)
 1,515


 Total
 5,020
 45.94% (2306)
 25.70% (1290)
 4.48% (225)
 76.12% (3821)
 28,642



  The number of interventions does not correspond with the number who were assessed as a prisoner can attend more than one intervention, based on their assessed need as detailed within their community integration plan (CIP).

  It should be noted that data relating to assessments carried out for both drugs and alcohol only began being collated in April 2010.

  Every prisoner who is admitted to custody goes through an initial health screening by a nurse. Prisoners are all asked about historical and current substance misuse to ascertain immediate clinical need.

Procurement

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether its contracts with milk suppliers require that all supplies must be provided at above the cost of production.

Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government does not contract directly with milk suppliers; we have a contract with Sodexo to provide a range of catering services across the government estate. Whilst we expect our contractor to pay a fair price, the arrangements between our contractor and their suppliers are commercially sensitive and for the contractor to manage.

Public Transport

Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation bus companies are required to undertake before removing a route.

Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation bus companies are required to undertake before altering a route.

Keith Brown: Bus companies are not required to undertake any consultation before altering a route. However, they are required to notify relevant local authorities of service changes 14 days prior to submitting their application to the Traffic Commissioner. Bus companies are required to submit applications for service changes to the Traffic Commissioner 56 days prior to the date on which the changes are due to take place.

Public Transport

Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation was carried out with bus users in Moodiesburn prior to the opening of the Moodiesburn bypass.

Keith Brown: The provision of local bus services is generally a matter for individual bus operators, who use their own commercial judgement on service routes and frequencies. The Scottish Government did not carry out any consultation with bus users in Moodiesburn prior to the opening of the Moodiesburn bypass. We do not hold information on any consultation that may have taken place between bus operators and bus users in Moodiesburn.

Public Transport

Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what checks there are to prevent overcrowding on buses.

Keith Brown: It is the responsibility of drivers to ensure that their vehicles do not exceed their carrying capacity. The Public Service Vehicles (Carrying Capacity) Regulations 1984 state that nobody should drive, or permit to be driven, a vehicle if the number of seated or standing passengers exceeds the number permitted.

Public Transport

Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what regulations there are to prevent overcrowding on buses.

Keith Brown: The number of passengers that can be carried in public service vehicles (buses) is set out in the Public Service Vehicles (Carrying Capacity) Regulations 1984, governed by the design of the vehicle, the space in the saloon, the number of seats, gangway space and available handholds. These parameters are approved by a certifying officer from the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA), an agency of the Department for Transport.

  Once the number of passengers, seated or standing, is determined, this information must be prominently displayed in the vehicle. If the numbers indicated on the notice in the vehicle are exceeded, the vehicle is being operated illegally. Specific allegations where a driver is allowing the capacity of the vehicle to be exceeded should be referred to the Traffic Commissioner. The Traffic Commissioner can be contacted at Office of the Traffic Commissioner, The Stamp Office, 10 Waterloo Place, Edinburgh, EH1 3EG.

Public Transport

Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what provisions there are to ensure that the number of buses in an area meets local demand.

Keith Brown: The provision of local bus services is generally a matter for individual bus operators, who use their own commercial judgement on service routes and frequencies including the number and size of vehicles used. Local authorities can provide subsidy for services that are not provided on a commercial basis but this is entirely a matter for the local authority. The Scottish Government provides funding to local authorities for this purpose.

Public Transport

Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what penalties there are for bus companies that fail to prevent overcrowding.

Keith Brown: Anyone who contravenes, or fails to comply with, the provisions of the Public Service Vehicles (Carrying Capacity) Regulations 1984 they shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 2 of the standard scale.

Public Transport

Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what penalties there are for bus companies that do not meet the terms of their contractual agreements.

Keith Brown: The Scottish Government does not have contractual agreements with bus companies for the provision of services. We do not hold information on the penalty clauses in contracts between bus companies and third parties, which would be a matter for them.

Public Transport

Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the need for the regulation of bus services

Keith Brown: We believe that the current regulatory regime covering the provision of local bus services is adequate for its intended purpose and as such we have no plans at present to make changes to it.

Public Transport

Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that bus services in the Moodiesburn area would have been better organised if the proposed members’ Bill on the regulation of bus services, which was lodged on 1 December 2009, had been passed.

Keith Brown: The Scottish Government is not in a position to speculate on how the proposed members’ Bill may have affected bus services in Moodiesburn.

Public Transport

Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many bus passengers there have been in Moodiesburn in each year since 1999.

Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many bus passengers there have been in the Coatbridge and Chryston constituency in each year since 1999.

Keith Brown: This information is not collected or held by Scottish Government.

Public Transport

Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many bus passengers there have been in each year since 1999.

Keith Brown: This data is collected by the Department for Transport and is published annually in Scottish Transport Statistics. The figures can be found at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2010/12/17120002/41.

Public Transport

Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many bus routes served the Moodiesburn area on 31 January 2010.

Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many bus routes served the Moodiesburn area on 31 January 2011.

Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many bus routes served the Moodiesburn area on 21 February 2011.

Keith Brown: The Scottish Government does not hold information on bus service registrations. All local bus services must be registered with the Traffic Commissioner. The Traffic Commissioner can be contacted at Office of the Traffic Commissioner, The Stamp Office, 10 Waterloo Place, Edinburgh, EH1 3EG.

Public Transport

Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many buses travelled between Moodiesburn and Glasgow on 31 January 2011.

Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many buses travelled between Moodiesburn and Glasgow on 21 February 2011

Keith Brown: The Scottish Government does not hold information on bus service operations centrally including those between Moodiesburn and Glasgow. We expect bus services to run to their registered timetables. Specific information about services should be referred to the Traffic Commissioner at The Stamp Office, 10 Waterloo Place, Edinburgh, EH1 3EG.

Public Transport

Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it takes to ensure the areas that are not well served by rail links have sufficient bus services.

Keith Brown: The majority of bus services in Scotland are operated on a commercial basis by private bus companies. Provided that an operator registers a service with the Office of the Traffic Commissioner, they can operate any route to any frequency they wish. Local authorities can provide subsidy for services that are not provided on a commercial basis but this is entirely a matter for the local authority. The Scottish Government provide funding to local authorities for this purpose.

Public Transport

Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it gives to bus companies regarding routes.

Keith Brown: The provision of local bus services is generally a matter for individual bus operators, who use their own commercial judgement on service routes and frequencies. The Scottish Government does not give any guidance to bus operators regarding routes.

Public Transport

Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what surveys have been carried out on passenger satisfaction on buses in the Moodiesburn area.

Keith Brown: The Scottish Government has not carried out any specific survey, however, the Scottish Household Survey (SHS) is asked of a sample of households across Scotland each year and includes questions on passenger satisfaction. Although the SHS has a large sample that covers the whole of Scotland, the results are not representative below local authority level.

Public Transport

Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the satisfaction levels are of bus passengers in the Moodiesburn area.

Keith Brown: The Scottish Government does not hold this data. Although the Scottish Household Survey has a large sample that covers the whole of Scotland, it has some geographical limitations because of the sample sizes in small local authorities and because it is designed to be representative only at national and local authority level. It is not appropriate to undertake geographical analysis below local authority level since the sampling techniques used in some local authorities cannot guarantee representativeness in smaller areas.

Public Transport

Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the satisfaction levels are of bus passengers in the Strathclyde area.

Keith Brown: Scotland level figures are available from the Scottish Household Survey (SHS). Figures are published online as part of the SHS Transport: Local Area Analysis web tables. Table 16 includes a breakdown by local authority and regional transport partnership, as well as Scotland level figures. This can be found at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Transport-Travel/PubTranAcrScot.

Public Transport

Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what surveys have been carried out on passenger satisfaction on buses in the Coatbridge and Chryston constituency.

Keith Brown: The Scottish Government has not carried out any specific survey. However, the annual Scottish Household Survey (SHS) includes questions on passenger satisfaction. Although the SHS has a large sample that covers the whole of Scotland, the results are not representative below local authority level.

Public Transport

Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the satisfaction levels are of bus passengers in the Coatbridge and Chryston constituency.

Keith Brown: The Scottish Government does not hold this data. Although the Scottish Household Survey has a large sample that covers the whole of Scotland, it has some geographical limitations because of the sample sizes in small local authorities and because it is designed to be representative only at national and local authority level.

Public Transport

Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what surveys have been carried out on passenger satisfaction on buses.

Keith Brown: The Scottish Government has not carried out any specific surveys about passenger satisfaction on buses in recent years. However, the annual Scottish Household Survey and includes questions on passenger satisfaction.

Public Transport

Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the satisfaction levels are of bus passengers.

Keith Brown: Scotland level figures are available from the Scottish Household Survey. Figures are published online as part of the SHS Transport: Local Area Analysis web tables. Table 16 includes a breakdown by Local Authority and Regional Transport Partnership, as well as Scotland level figures. This can be found at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Transport-Travel/PubTranAcrScot.

Public Transport

Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of adults travel to work by bus, also broken down by (a) local authority area and (b) parliamentary constituency.

Keith Brown: (a) Local authority figures are available from the Scottish Household Survey (SHS). Figures are published online as part of the SHS Transport: Local Area Analysis web tables. Table 1 shows the relevant data and can found at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Transport-Travel/PubTranAcrScot.

  (b) Although the SHS has a large sample that covers the whole of Scotland, it has some geographical limitations because of the sample sizes in small local authorities and because it is designed to be representative only at national and local authority level. Results are not available at Scottish Parliamentary Constituency level.

Rail Services

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-39548 by Keith Brown on 3 March 2011, on how many occasions ScotRail has been penalised for failing to provide (a) the planned capacity on services and (b) adequate cleanliness on trains and what penalties were imposed, in each of the last five years.

Keith Brown: ScotRail operates approximately 700,000 trains per annum. The number of occasions ScotRail has been penalised under the Performance Regimes contained in the Franchise Agreement for (a) and (b), in each of the last five years, is as follows:

  (a) Number of Trains in each Financial Year Failing to Provide the Planned Capacity

  

 Financial Year
 Number of Trains


 April 2006 to March 2007
 2,374


 April 2007 to March 2008
 1,649


 April 2008 to March 2009
 1,659


 April 2009 to March 2010 
 1,539


 April 2010 to date #
 1,910



  Note: # data for eleven periods only.

  The penalty imposed in each of the financial years is commercially sensitive under the Franchise Agreement and cannot be provided.

  (b) Train cleanliness is a Service Schedule in the Service Quality Incentive Regime (SQUIRE). ScotRail is penalised for any service schedules which falls below the benchmark. ScotRail receives a bonus payment where service schedules perform above the benchmark. ScotRail has consistently performed above the benchmark level of 96% for train cleanliness since the performance regime was expanded to cover the entire Scottish rail network in December 2006. This level of performance has resulted in zero occasions where penalties were imposed for train cleanliness since December 2006.

Rail Services

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will outline the planned investment to improve Perth train station.

Keith Brown: ScotRail is currently finalising designs for the refurbishment of public toilets at Perth Station, which is expected to take place this summer. The refurbishment will be funded through the Station Investment Fund.

  Network Rail is also developing plans to install three new lifts and a footbridge to provide step free access to all platforms at the station. The work will be funded through the Department for Transport’s "Access for All" Fund, and is expected to commence in late 2012.

  This is in addition to the £350,000 invested to renew the Customer Information System (CSI), as well as installing CCTV and expanding the station car park.

Renewable Energy

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it provides for environmental survey work to identify the most appropriate sites for offshore renewable energy developments.

Richard Lochhead: Marine Scotland has undertaken and issued regional locational guidance to help inform the future selection of sites. This guidance contains relevant information including, for example, information on environmental sensitivities, other marine users and the socio-economic structure of the area/region and sits within the wider marine planning structure being developed by Marine Scotland.

  The regional locational guidance is informed by Marine Scotland’s on-going work including our programme of seabed mapping. This programme has acquired bathymetric data to get a more detailed understanding of the depth and shape of the surface of the seabed, as well as its character (i.e. rock, sand, mud, boulders etc.) than that previously available. This information has been made public in order to help inform the future selection of sites for offshore renewable energy developments.

  The Scottish Government’s research programme and demonstration strategy will also provide information which can be used to inform regional locational guidance and the licensing process where appropriate.

Renewable Energy

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it provides for research into the environmental effects of offshore renewable energy developments.

Richard Lochhead: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-39697 on 14 March 2011. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Renewable Energy

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-39728 by Jim Mather on 1 March 2011, how many representations the Section 36 team of its Energy Consents Unit has received (a) in favour of and (b) against the (i) Aikengall II Wester Dod community wind farm, (ii) Allt Duine wind farm, (iii) Arecleoch wind farm, (iv) Black Law wind farm, (v) Black Law wind farm extension, (vi) Braes of Doune wind farm, (vii) Clashindarroch wind farm, (viii) Clyde wind farm, (ix) Clyde wind farm extension, (x) Creag Dhubh wind farm, (xi) Dorenell wind farm, (xii) Druim Ba wind farm, (xiii) Dunmaglass wind farm, (xiv) Earlshaugh wind farm, (xv) Ewehill wind farm, (xvi) Fallago Rig wind farm, (xvii) Farr wind farm, (xviii) Fauch Hill wind farm, (xix) Glenmorie wind farm, (xx) Griffin wind farm, (xxi) Hadyard Hill wind farm, (xxii) Harelaw renewable energy park, (xxiii) Harestanes wind farm, (xxiv) Harrows Law wind farm, (xxv) Kilgallioch wind farm, (xxvi) Kyle wind farm, (xxvii) Kype Muir wind farm, (xxviii) Lewis wind farm, (xxix) Moy wind farm, (xxx) Muaitheabhal wind farm, (xxxi) Pairc wind farm, (xxxii) Tom nan Clach wind farm, (xxxiii) Viking wind farm, (xxxiv) Waterhead Moor wind farm, (xxxv) Westerdale wind farm, (xxxvi) Whitelee wind farm, (xxxvii) Whitelee wind farm extension, (xxxviii) Whitelee wind farm extension phase 2, (xxxix) Windy Standard wind farm extension, (xl) Abercairny wind farm, (xli) Afton wind farm, (xlii) Baillie wind farm, (xliii) Berry Burn wind farm, (xliv) Black Law wind farm extension, (xlv) Blackcraig Hill wind farm, (xlvi) Calliachar wind farm, (xlvii) Carraig Gheal wind farm, (xlviii) Causeymire wind farm, (xlix) Crystal Rig wind farm extension, (l) Crystal Rig wind farm extension 2, (li) Crystal Rig wind farm phase 2a, (lii) Dersalloch wind farm, (liii) Druim Ba wind farm, (liv) Dunbeath wind farm, (lv) Gordonbush wind farm, (lvi) Ewehill wind farm, (lvii) Greenock wind farm, (lviii) Mark Hill wind farm, (lix) Millennium wind farm extension, (lx) Mid Hill wind farm capacity increase, (lxi) Newfield Windfarm, (lxii) Paul’s Hill wind farm, (lxiii) Paul’s Hill wind farm extension, (lxiv) Rothes wind farm, (lxv) Rothes wind farm extension, (lxvi) Spittal Hill wind farm and (lxvii) Stornoway wind farm applications.

Jim Mather: Representations made from members of the public and from formal consultees are a material consideration in the determination of section 36 applications by Scottish Ministers.

  Representations received for the wind farms listed above are set out in the following table.

  

Wind Farm
Support
Objections


Aikengall II Wester Dod community wind farm, 
382
104


Allt Duine wind farm, 
7
4


Arecleoch wind farm, 
0
20


Black Law wind farm, 
1
36


Black Law wind farm extension, 
0
10


Braes of Doune wind farm, 
13
4


Clashindarroch wind farm, 
3
300


Clyde wind farm, 
0
181


Clyde wind farm extension, 
Application not yet received.
 


Creag Dhubh wind farm, 
608
622


Dorenell wind farm, 
844
1,630


Druim Ba wind farm, 
5
442


Dunmaglass wind farm, 
6
645


Earlshaugh wind farm, 
1
36


Ewehill wind farm, 
0
14


Fallago Rig wind farm, 
6
645


Farr wind farm, 
1
36


Fauch Hill wind farm
Application not yet received.
 


Glenmorie wind farm, 
Application not yet received
 


Griffin wind farm, 
33
180


Hadyard Hill wind farm, 
1
12


Harelaw renewable energy park, 
23
159


Harestanes wind farm, 
4
82


Harrows Law wind farm, 
4
253


Kilgallioch wind farm, 
1
66


Kyle wind farm, 
0
4,260


Kype Muir wind farm, 
Application not yet received.
 


Lewis wind farm, 
98
10,924


Moy wind farm, 
Application not yet received.
 


Muaitheabhal wind farm, 
85
5,066


Pairc wind farm, 
3
3,239


Tom nan Clach wind farm, 
Processed by Local Panning Authority 
 


Viking wind farm, 
1,112
2,772


Waterhead Moor wind farm, 
0
378


Westerdale wind farm, 
No application received 
 


Whitelee wind farm,
12
67


Whitelee wind farm extension, 
2
51


Whitelee wind farm extension phase 2, 
2
5


Windy Standard wind farm extension, 
9
93


Abercairny wind farm, 
3
951


Afton wind farm, 
0
0


Baillie wind farm, 
829
433


Berry Burn wind farm, 
87
140


Black Law wind farm extension, 
0
10


Blackcraig Hill wind farm, 
66
552


Calliachar wind farm, 
1
1,022


Carraig Gheal wind farm, 
89
351


Causeymire wind farm, 
0
4


Crystal Rig wind farm extension 2, 
0
29


Crystal Rig wind farm phase 2a, 
0
5


Dersalloch wind farm, 
23
2,614


Druim Ba wind farm, 
Formal consultation has not yet begun
 


Dunbeath wind farm, 
789
780


Gordonbush wind farm, 
0
495


Ewehill wind farm, 
1
19


Greenock wind farm, 
7
141


Mark Hill wind farm, 
9
49


Millennium wind farm extension, 
2
9


Mid Hill wind farm capacity increase, 
1
1


Newfield Windfarm, 
15
45


Paul’s Hill wind farm, 
0
81


Paul’s Hill wind farm extension, 
0
70


Rothes wind farm, 
24
169


Rothes wind farm extension, 
0
37


Spittal Hill wind farm and 
1,253
1,437


Stornoway wind farm applications.
Application not yet received.

Renewable Energy

Stuart McMillan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Plan for Offshore Wind Energy in Scottish Territorial Waters will be published.

Richard Lochhead: Offshore renewables represent a huge opportunity for Scotland; an opportunity to create new industries and to make great progress towards achieving our ambitious renewable energy targets.

  I am therefore pleased to announce that tomorrow we will publish a Sectoral Plan for Offshore Wind energy in Scottish territorial waters and Post-Adoption Statement.

  The Sectoral Plan is a strategic planning document for the development of offshore wind energy in Scottish Territorial Waters which contains proposals for development at the regional level up to 2020 and beyond.

  The Sectoral Plan identifies sites that may be progressed in the short-term, and prioritises the regions of Scottish Territorial Waters for further exploration as we seek to accommodate additional capacity from Scotland’s considerable offshore wind resource.

  The Post-Adoption Statement details how we have taken environmental and socio-economic considerations into account in developing the plan and outlines a process for monitoring the plan’s implementation in order to maintain the quality of our marine environment.

  The Scottish Government has worked closely with a wide range of stakeholders to shape the final plan and we will continue to do so during its implementation.

Road Accidents

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-33199 by Stewart Stevenson on 12 May 2010, which roads have had the highest number of (a) accidents and (b) fatalities in each of the last five years.

Keith Brown: The following tables provide statistics requested and are ranked by estimates per km of road.

  2005

  

 Injury Road Accidents
 Fatalities


 Road
 Number of Injury Road Accidents
 per km of road
 Road
 Number of Road Accident Fatalities
 per km of road


 A8
 277
 3.51
 A74
 3
 0.24


 M8
 223
 2.55
 A923
 5
 0.10


 A761
 76
 2.41
 A947
 6
 0.09


 A814
 107
 1.62
 A811
 3
 0.06


 A721
 76
 1.61
 A1
 5
 0.06


 A803
 88
 1.59
 A92
 7
 0.05


 A726
 77
 1.58
 A85
 7
 0.05


 A89
 92
 1.56
 A814
 3
 0.05


 A71
 143
 1.29
 A76
 4
 0.04


 A1
 110
 1.25
 A713
 3
 0.04


 A77
 152
 1.00
 A90
 9
 0.04


 A90
 235
 0.97
 A82
 10
 0.04


 A7
 126
 0.96
 A70
 4
 0.03


 A96
 139
 0.83
 A75
 5
 0.03


 A92
 120
 0.81
 A7
 4
 0.03


 A82
 209
 0.77
 A71
 3
 0.03


 A70
 87
 0.71
 A701
 3
 0.03


 A702
 72
 0.54
 A96
 4
 0.02


 A85
 73
 0.48
 A77
 3
 0.02


 A9
 192
 0.44
 A9
 5
 0.01



  The tables show the roads with the highest number of accidents per kilometre. Other roads may have higher numbers of fatalities and some roads will have a similar rate per kilometre at the bottom of the table.

  2006

  

 Injury Road Accidents
 Fatalities


 Road
 Number of Injury Road Accidents
 per km of road
 Road
 Number of Road Accident Fatalities
 per km of road


 A8
 308
 3.90
 A726
 5
 0.10


 A761
 81
 2.57
 A90
 17
 0.07


 M8
 224
 2.56
 A8
 5
 0.06


 A726
 92
 1.89
 A84
 3
 0.06


 A814
 112
 1.69
 A6105
 3
 0.06


 A89
 97
 1.64
 A947
 4
 0.06


 A803
 78
 1.41
 A76
 5
 0.05


 A81
 78
 1.35
 A96
 9
 0.05


 A71
 144
 1.30
 A75
 8
 0.05


 A73
 78
 1.24
 M8
 4
 0.05


 A7
 145
 1.10
 A71
 5
 0.05


 A1
 91
 1.04
 A97
 4
 0.04


 A90
 244
 1.01
 A95
 4
 0.04


 A77
 130
 0.86
 A9
 17
 0.04


 A92
 109
 0.74
 A82
 10
 0.04


 A82
 183
 0.67
 A91
 3
 0.04


 A70
 78
 0.64
 A701
 4
 0.04


 A96
 101
 0.60
 A72
 3
 0.04


 A85
 86
 0.57
 A92
 4
 0.03


 A9
 236
 0.54
 A77
 4
 0.03



  2007

  

 Injury Road Accidents
 Fatalities
 


 Road
 Number of Injury Road Accidents
 per km of road
 Road
 Number of Road Accident Fatalities
 per km of road


 A8
 261
 3.31
 A8011
 3
 0.42


 A761
 76
 2.41
 A752
 3
 0.24


 M8
 193
 2.21
 A76
 7
 0.08


 M74
 85
 1.62
 A828
 3
 0.07


 A89
 92
 1.56
 M8
 6
 0.07


 A814
 100
 1.51
 A1
 5
 0.06


 A803
 72
 1.30
 A8
 4
 0.05


 A1
 103
 1.17
 A82
 13
 0.05


 A71
 126
 1.13
 A77
 7
 0.05


 A90
 248
 1.02
 A90
 11
 0.05


 A7
 118
 0.90
 A970
 5
 0.04


 A77
 135
 0.89
 A83
 6
 0.04


 A82
 228
 0.84
 A85
 5
 0.03


 A92
 114
 0.77
 A96
 5
 0.03


 A70
 80
 0.66
 A9
 13
 0.03


 A96
 109
 0.65
 A93
 5
 0.03


 A85
 94
 0.62
 A92
 4
 0.03


 A702
 76
 0.57
 A71
 3
 0.03


 A75
 79
 0.51
 A75
 4
 0.03


 A9
 217
 0.49
 A702
 3
 0.02



  2008

  

 Injury Road Accidents
 Fatalities


 Road
 Number of Injury Road Accidents
 per km of road
 Road
 Number of Road Accident Fatalities
 per km of road


 A8
 203
 2.57
 A749
 3
 0.25


 M8
 224
 2.56
 A721
 6
 0.13


 M74
 107
 2.04
 A847
 3
 0.13


 A89
 87
 1.47
 B9022
 3
 0.12


 A803
 75
 1.35
 A904
 3
 0.10


 A814
 89
 1.34
 M8
 8
 0.09


 A71
 144
 1.30
 A947
 5
 0.08


 A81
 70
 1.22
 A96
 4
 0.06


 A78
 72
 1.05
 A91
 5
 0.06


 A1
 93
 1.04
 A92
 6
 0.06


 A90
 252
 1.04
 A98
 4
 0.05


 A7
 136
 1.03
 A8
 3
 0.04


 A68
 83
 0.84
 A90
 9
 0.04


 A92
 108
 0.73
 A82
 10
 0.04


 A82
 181
 0.67
 A71
 4
 0.04


 A77
 98
 0.65
 A9
 15
 0.03


 A70
 79
 0.65
 A75
 5
 0.03


 A85
 96
 0.63
 A85
 4
 0.03


 A96
 105
 0.63
 A1
 2
 0.02


 A9
 183
 0.42
 A68
 2
 0.02



  2009

  

 Injury Road Accidents
 Fatalities
 


 Road
 Number of Injury Road Accidents
 per km of road
 Road
 Number of Road Accident Fatalities
 per km of road


 A8
 204
 2.58
 B9080
 3
 0.23


 M8
 185
 2.11
 A977
 3
 0.11


 M74
 87
 1.66
 M74
 5
 0.10


 A726
 74
 1.52
 A199
 3
 0.07


 A89
 83
 1.40
 M8
 5
 0.06


 A814
 90
 1.36
 A76
 4
 0.04


 A90
 262
 1.08
 A835
 4
 0.04


 A71
 108
 0.97
 A90
 9
 0.04


 A77
 130
 0.86
 A75
 5
 0.03


 A1
 76
 0.85
 A95
 3
 0.03


 A7
 110
 0.83
 A78
 2
 0.03


 A82
 198
 0.73
 A77
 4
 0.03


 A92
 107
 0.72
 A70
 3
 0.02


 A96
 106
 0.63
 A96
 4
 0.02


 A68
 61
 0.62
 A7
 3
 0.02


 A70
 68
 0.56
 A82
 6
 0.02


 A85
 84
 0.55
 A68
 2
 0.02


 A702
 73
 0.55
 A93
 3
 0.02


 A93
 86
 0.49
 A9
 7
 0.02


 A9
 207
 0.47
 A702
 2
 0.02

Roads

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) accidents and (b) fatal accidents took place on the A9’s single carriageway sections in each of the last five years.

Keith Brown: The following table shows the number of reported personal injury accidents on the single carriageway sections of the A9 in each of the last five full years for which data is available.

  

 
 Fatal
 All


 2005
 4
 94


 2006
 10
 118


 2007
 7
 107


 2008
 7
 101


 2009
 5
 109



  Transport Scotland collates information on reported personal injury accidents on trunk roads in Scotland and this database is updated periodically, as data provided by the Police is checked and verified. The year-end figures for 2010 have yet to be finally verified.

Roads

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) accidents and (b) fatal accidents took place on the A9’s dual carriageway sections in each of the last five years.

Keith Brown: The following table shows the number of reported personal injury accidents on the dual carriageway sections of the A9 in each of the last five full years for which data is available.

  

 
 Fatal
 All


 2005
 1
 62


 2006
 2
 59


 2007
 4
 71


 2008
 3
 42


 2009
 1
 68



  Transport Scotland collates information on reported personal injury accidents on trunk roads in Scotland and this database is updated periodically, as data provided by the police is checked and verified. The year-end figures for 2010 have yet to be finally verified.

Roads

John Lamont (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are plans to improve the junctions on the A1 in Berwickshire.

Keith Brown: The A1 is one of the routes identified within Intervention 5 of the STPR (Strategic Transport Projects Review) where our aim will be to optimise the operation of the route through active route management and targeted individual investments.

  This includes plans to ensure the road is safe and suitably maintained for the expected levels of traffic and may, for instance, include realigning sections of road, individual junction improvements and creating additional overtaking opportunities where appropriate.

Sectarianism

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on anti-sectarianism programmes in each year since 1999.

Kenny MacAskill: I refer the member to the answers to questions S3W-16055 on 2 October 2008 and S3W-39060 on 8 February 2011. Further information requested is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Sectarianism

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average number of full-time equivalent staff working specifically on anti-sectarianism projects has been in each year since 2005.

Kenny MacAskill: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-29200 on 4 December 2009. Further records of the information requested are not held by the Scottish Government. Work to tackle sectarianism continues to be part of a broader strategy of work to tackle all forms of religious intolerance, racism and violent and abusive behaviour and involves many areas across Scottish Government. Whilst there are staff allocated to work on religious intolerance and faith issues, there are no officials who work exclusively on tackling sectarianism.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Sectarianism

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many football banning orders have been applied for in respect of (a) sectarianism, (b) racism and (c) other forms of disorder since 2006, broken down by police force.

Kenny MacAskill: The information requested is as follows.

  

 Force
 Sectarian Offences
 Racial Offences
 Violent and Disorderly Offences
 Total Number of Applications for Football Banning Orders


 British Transport Police
 86
 6
 50
 142


 Central
 2
 3
 16
 21


 Dumfries and Galloway
 0
 0
 10
 10


 Fife
 1
 0
 9
 10


 Grampian 
 5
 6
 82
 93


 Lothian and Borders
 5
 4
 168
 177


 Northern
 6
 3
 1
 10


 Strathclyde
 144
 18
 150
 312


 Tayside
 11
 2
 34
 47


 Total
 260
 42
 520
 822

Sectarianism

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many anti-sectarianism events were attended by the First Minister in the 2003 to 2007 parliamentary session and have been attended in the current parliamentary session, broken down by (a) date and (b) event.

Kenny MacAskill: In addition to the numerous anti-sectarian events which I and other Scottish Government ministers have attended, the First Minister hosted a reception to celebrate the achievement of those working to tackle sectarianism at Edinburgh castle on 19 June 2007; attended an anti-sectarian event at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on 20 February 2008 to mark the visit of government ministers from Northern Ireland, and participated in the Show Racism/Bigotry the Red Card Scottish Party Leaders event at Easter Road Stadium in Edinburgh on 20 January 2011.

  In addition the First Minister regularly meets with church leaders, through forums like Action for Churches Together in Scotland, helping to ensure real progress in joint working by Scotland’s churches, and solidarity in tackling sectarianism. The First Minister hosted a reception on 3 November 2010 to mark the 450th anniversary of the Reformation, and participated in the visit of His Holiness pope Benedict XVI. Both of these had a strong inter-faith dimension which clearly illustrated how different beliefs can comfortably live together side by side.

  The information relating to the 2003-07 parliamentary session is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Social Inclusion

Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to tackle poverty, promote social inclusion and improve health in Glasgow.

Alex Neil: Our approach to tackling poverty, promoting social inclusion and improving health across Scotland is covered in some detail in the Scottish Government and COSLA social policy frameworks Achieving Our Potential: A Framework to tackle poverty and income inequality in Scotland, Equally Well: Report of the Ministerial Task Force on Health Equalities and the Early Years Framework.

  Glasgow is home to the largest proportion as well as the most significant concentrations of social problems in Scotland. The local authority and the health service in Glasgow receive considerable block grant resources to recognise the scale of the challenge in the city - £6,819million for 2010-11 - as well as additional Scottish Government funding towards specific local tacking poverty and health inequalities initiatives such as the Healthier, Wealthier Children financial inclusion project, Keep Well health checks and the Glasgow Centre for Population Health.

Transport

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many postbus services have been withdrawn in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area.

Keith Brown: The Scottish Government does not hold information on the withdrawal of individual bus services. The Traffic Commissioner for the Scottish Traffic Area is the licensing authority for the bus and coach industry in Scotland and applies the regulatory regime. Operators are legally required to register their local services with the Commissioner and to run these services to the registered timetable. Operators must also notify the Traffic Commissioner of their intention to withdraw services. The Traffic Commissioner can be contacted at Office of the Traffic Commissioner, The Stamp Office, 10 Waterloo Place, Edinburgh, EH1 3EG.

Transport

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-27817 by Stewart Stevenson on 28 October 2009, how many petrol stations there have been in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.

Keith Brown: The following table shows the number of petrol stations in operation in Scotland between 1999 and 2010. The data is taken from a Scottish extract of the Inter Departmental Business Register (IDBR) which is maintained by the Office for National Statistics.

  Number of Business Sites1,2 of Registered Enterprises in SIC Code 50.5: Retail Sale of Automotive Fuel by Local Authority Area3 for 1999 to 20104

  

 Local Authority
 1999
 2000
 2001
 2002
 2003
 2004
 2005
 2006
 2007
 2008
 2009
 2010


 Aberdeen City
 40
 40
 30
 25
 25
 20
 20
 20
 15
 20
 20
 15


 Aberdeenshire
 55
 50
 50
 45
 45
 40
 40
 40
 40
 30
 35
 35


 Angus
 15
 15
 20
 15
 15
 15
 15
 10
 10
 5
 5
 5


 Argyll and Bute
 35
 35
 35
 35
 40
 35
 35
 35
 35
 30
 30
 30


 Clackmannanshire
 5
 5
 5
 5
 5
 5
 5
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0


 Dumfries and Galloway
 50
 50
 40
 40
 40
 35
 35
 30
 30
 30
 30
 30


 Dundee City
 25
 15
 15
 15
 15
 10
 10
 10
 5
 5
 5
 5


 East Ayrshire
 25
 25
 20
 20
 20
 20
 20
 15
 20
 20
 20
 15


 East Dunbartonshire
 20
 20
 15
 20
 15
 15
 10
 15
 10
 10
 5
 10


 East Lothian
 15
 15
 10
 10
 10
 10
 10
 10
 5
 10
 10
 5


 East Renfrewshire
 10
 10
 10
 10
 10
 10
 10
 10
 5
 5
 5
 5


 Edinburgh, City of
 35
 30
 45
 40
 45
 45
 35
 30
 20
 20
 25
 20


 Eilean Siar
 10
 15
 15
 15
 15
 15
 15
 15
 15
 10
 10
 10


 Falkirk
 25
 20
 20
 20
 20
 15
 20
 15
 15
 15
 15
 15


 Fife
 65
 65
 55
 40
 40
 30
 30
 35
 30
 20
 15
 20


 Glasgow City
 60
 60
 60
 50
 55
 50
 50
 40
 40
 35
 30
 20


 Highland
 70
 65
 65
 65
 60
 55
 60
 60
 60
 60
 50
 50


 Inverclyde
 5
 5
 0
 5
 5
 5
 5
 5
 5
 5
 5
 5


 Midlothian
 5
 10
 10
 5
 5
 5
 5
 5
 5
 5
 0
 0


 Moray
 25
 25
 25
 25
 25
 30
 25
 20
 20
 20
 20
 20


 North Ayrshire
 20
 20
 20
 20
 20
 20
 20
 20
 20
 20
 20
 15


 North Lanarkshire
 45
 45
 35
 40
 35
 30
 30
 35
 35
 25
 25
 25


 Orkney Islands
 10
 5
 10
 5
 5
 5
 5
 5
 5
 5
 5
 5


 Perth and Kinross
 40
 40
 40
 35
 35
 35
 30
 30
 25
 20
 15
 15


 Renfrewshire
 25
 25
 30
 25
 30
 25
 25
 20
 15
 15
 10
 5


 Scottish Borders
 15
 15
 20
 15
 15
 15
 15
 15
 15
 15
 15
 15


 Shetland Islands
 5
 5
 5
 5
 5
 5
 5
 5
 5
 5
 5
 5


 South Ayrshire
 20
 15
 15
 15
 10
 10
 10
 10
 10
 10
 10
 5


 South Lanarkshire
 50
 45
 40
 35
 40
 40
 40
 40
 30
 25
 25
 20


 Stirling
 10
 10
 15
 10
 10
 15
 15
 10
 10
 5
 5
 5


 West Dunbartonshire
 10
 10
 10
 10
 15
 10
 10
 10
 10
 5
 10
 5


 West Lothian
 25
 25
 30
 25
 25
 20
 20
 20
 15
 10
 15
 15


 Total
 880
 835
 810
 750
 745
 700
 680
 645
 575
 510
 490
 450



  Notes:

  Totals may not equal the sum of the constituent parts due to rounding.

  Due to rounding to the nearest five, a local business site count of 0 could represent 1 or 2 business sites.

  1. Excludes central and local government.

  2. It is likely that the SIC code 50.5: Retail Sale of Automotive Fuel will not capture petrol stations that are attached to large supermarkets. The activities of these petrol stations may come under the retail SIC code of the supermarket. The SIC code of a business site is determined by its main activity.

  3. Includes June 2002 local authority boundary changes between the City of Edinburgh and West Lothian and Glasgow City and Renfrewshire.

  4. For 1999 to 2004 the extract used from the IDBR was taken in November. For 2005 to 2010 the extract used from the IDBR was taken in March.